White on Black

5 Years Later

 The amber pendant sits in my palm, soothing my weary fingers. I slip the necklace back into the wooden drawer and close it shut, sealing my memories with that pendant. I take one last look at the past 5 years of my life; a galaxy wall, a wooden bed and a drawer. I sigh, collect my things and stumble out the window to meet Larry. 

"Hey, Karl. You ready to go?"

I hesitate. Larry's blue eyes widen, then narrow. 

"Of course. Of course." I give Larry a quick salute. "I'm with you wherever, whenever."

Larry nods and pulls up his black hoodie. We crawl down the stairs, creep through corridors and bolt out of the metal doors of the orphanage into the night. 

We run and don't stop until we see the soft glow of the train station. Digging up every cent and penny, we manage 2 tickets and board the last train for Washington D.C. 

I lean my head on the cold window and fall asleep listening to rain pitter-patter on the glass. I am awoken by a harsh ray of sunlight peaking over the tops of buildings. As we proceed into the heart of the city, lush, homegrown vegetables give way to dull city trees. At last, the train exhales and shudders to a stop. 

We push our way through the crowds of people before stumbling out of the underground station. There, we drag our tired feet on the pavement towards the nearest mall to begin thieving. Ducking through dark alleyways and climbing into dank tunnels, we rush a corner and come face-to-face with a vicious looking man. Tattoos snake up his arms, depicting mankind drowning in black angelic fire. He gives us a quick look over with his dangerous brown eyes.

"You. Are coming with me."

Hammer grunts as he sits down, pounding his palms on the rusty metal table. The thin wooden chair creaks and shifts under his weight. 

"It appears to me..." he begins, scanning us for the fifth time, "That you are orphans. Helpless. What should appear to you is that we are nurturing you to become one of us. You will have a life." He chuckles at his own joke.

"Look," Larry says nervously. "We don't want trouble. We've come our way, and we'd like to leave to go our own way. Also, we don't want your help. We're fine on our own." 

Hammer laughs cruelly. "Oh, is that so? Do you not see why you should join us?"

We shake our heads no.

His evil laugh transforms into a hissing of a snake. He holds up his hand.

"Because, kiddo, you don't have a choice."

We stare in shock as five more burly men enter the room, pistols raised at us.